Shadow_Gryphyn

January 3, 2009

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. Someone else does, though I'm not entirely sure who. Aislinn, Caroline and Michael are my characters, along with any others who may or may not show up later.

Okay, so I have almost no promises on finishing this, but at 3500 words, I figured you guys all deserved to read it. The general concept is something I'm fooling with for a creative writing assignment for school. What was going to be a short story (6-8 pages) became 8 pages of an exposition. I do know where it's going, but I have no idea on how to get it there. I'll work on that after I finish my story for class. Anywho, on with the show…

"But Gibbs!"

"No Abby."

"But-"

"No. You're getting an assistant, and you have two options – work with her until you physically can't anymore, or stop now and relinquish your lab to her for the next four months."

"Wait, her?"

"Yes. She starts tomorrow – she graduated a couple years after you but she's about your age and has been friends with Ziva for a few years."

"Alright. Fine. If she's friends with Ziva, she can't possibly be an airhead. If I don't like her though, she's gone as soon as I come back!"

"When your doctor clears you to work, we'll see then."

"But-"

"Then." The click and ding of the elevator doors herald Gibbs' exit, a final top note to the argument.

"Okay Gibbs, so what's her name?" A pause, "what do you thing Major Mass Speck?"

"Abby?"

"Yes Ziva?"

"Your computer is dinging."

"Oh goody. So, Gibbs says my new assistant is a friend of yours,"

"And?"

"What's her name? What's she like? Will I like her? Does she want to kill you, Tony, McGee, Gibbs, Jenny, Cynthia or anyone else I forgot to mention?"

"I've been instructed that you are to meet her tomorrow with no already conceived notations."

"Preconceived notions."

"Whichever. You'll have to wait."

"But,"

"I am sorry Abby. You know orders are orders. And for this case I am going to enjoy watching you squirm. Do not pout, Abby, it is not becoming on a pregnant goth girl."

"Whatever Ziva. If you think I'll like her I'll take your word for it until tomorrow."

"Good, Abby. Gibbs will be pleased."

"He better be, it's all his fault."

* * *

The next morning Abby entered her lab an hour later than usual, having had horrid morning sickness early – followed by her promptly falling back to sleep on the couch for a couple hours. Presently, she was fretting about the new person she was going to have to work with for the next few months.

The elevators dinged open and her usual music was blasting out of her lab, albeit at a lower volume than she usually had it at, and a high soprano voice sang out the vocals over the music. Intrigued, Abby made her way into her lab, and stopped short when she sees a mess of black hair pulled back in a tight braid. The new lab tech was puttering around the lab, opening cupboards and drawers, before replacing the things as she found them. Stubbing her toe on the door, Abby curses quietly, but the woman hears and turns. The music ceases suddenly, and the woman swings to look at Abby.

"Hello! You must be Abby. My name is Aislinn and I'm you're new assistant."

"Okay Aislinn, let me set down my things and we'll go over a couple of ground rules."

"Sure, it's your lab after all, I'm just borrowing it. Wicked spider tat, by the way."

"Thanks. So, rule number one, I'm your primary boss, so until I say otherwise, what I say goes. Except what Gibbs says, or Jenny, in that order. Rule number two, when you get a call in the middle of the night from one of the team, the director or myself to come in, I don't care how tired you are or what time it is, if someone calls, you come. Which brings me to rule number three, follow Gibbs' rules. The only important one right now is never be unreachable. I'll teach you the rest later."

"Is that it? I expected all of those, and Gibbs already warned me that this job pulled odd hours. I don't mind, I hardly sleep as it is, so I'm fine."

"Cool- and I'm stuck with you till after the baby, but we'll see how we work together for after. at any rate, you can't possibly be as bad as my other assistant, he tried to kill me and set up Tony."

"Well, rest assured, I have no urge to kill you. Yet, anyways."

"Was that a joke? I love it! Chip had no sense of humor at all."

"Good to know I'm not the bottom of the list then. Where are you from Abby?"

"New Orleans, and you?"

"Maine, originally, the world of ice and snow. Senior year of high school my lab partner wanted to go to school in Louisiana, she loved the place. Never been there myself, but it's certainly somewhere I want to go eventually."

"I can show you pictures someday. My home is wonderful in the summer." Both girls smiled.

"Abby?"

"Yeah?"

"I noticed your clothes don't exactly confine to the dress code, is that an exception just for you, or is it a 'lab rats can do whatever they want' type of thing?"

"Dunno, lets go ask Jenny- no one really cares what I wear, and my previous assistant was uptight anyways. What do you usually where? Other than that suit, of course."

"Hey, the suit is fine, but if I can get away with not wearing it, I'll be very happy. I like older clothes, because they have more character. Do you always drag people around by the wrist?"

"Usually only Tony and Timmy when they are going slowly because Ziva won't stand it and Gibbs doesn't need hurrying up."

"Fine."

"Hey Cynthia! Is the Director available?"

"Sure Abby, go on in."

"Great! Madame Director!"

"Yes Abby?"

"Does Aislinn have to wear suits or can she dress down like me?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"I really don't need two Goths in one lab."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that Madame Director, I love the gothic style and all, but it's not for me. I find short skirts and heels cumbersome, and I'm not a chain type of person."

"Alright then. You may wear what you wish, within reason."

"Wow. Thank-you Madame Director."

"You're welcome. And Aislinn-"

"Yes?"

"I'm going to tell you what I told Abby, but I get the feeling you are very much like Abby in this respect. I would prefer either Director or Madame. Not Madame Director."

"Yes Madame."

"Good. Now Abby-"

"Yeah?"

"Gibb's just got a call, swing by the bullpen on your way back down."

"Okay Director. Come on Aislinn!"

"Coming. It was nice to meet you Director."

* * *

"Cynthia?"

"Yes Director?"

"I think this assistant is going to work well."

"You think so Director?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jenny Shepard replied with a smile as she watched the pair of lab rats thunder down the stairs to the bullpen.

* * *

"Gibbs!"

"Not now, Abby."

"But Jenny said you guys got called out!" Leroy Jethro Gibbs paused in the act of arming himself as he looked at his favorite lab rat.

"Yes Abby."

"Are you going to bring me back lots of evidence?" Unable to be deterred, Abby continued to bounce on her toes.

"We'll see."

"Ziva?"

"Yes Abby?"

"Why are you sniggering?"

"She's laughing at me." Aislinn's voice floated over from Tony's desk, which she was sitting on.

"Why?"

"Because I never wear suits, and this thing is so far from my usual dress that she's in shock. On that note, I'm going to go change. Ziva told me what you wear, and I was hoping I might be allowed to wear what I pleased. I'll meet you back in the lab, Abby. You are allowed to laugh at my expense Ziva, though it's never stopped you before." As the elevator dinged behind her new assistant, Abby spoke again.

"Well Gibbs, at least she's not like Chip."

"See you later, Abbs."

* * *

By the time Abby got back to her lab, Aislinn had changed both her clothing and the music. It was still Abby's music, but it was a little less heavy metal, a CD focusing more on the punk and vocals. Aislinn herself was standing in the middle of the room in a dress vaguely reminiscent of olden days; the square neckline of the dress was accentuated by the sleeves that ran down to her forearms without being loose.

"I can see what Ziva found the suit amusing. On another note, however, you're all set if that dress is stereotypical of your usual. Maybe check with Jenny a some point before you leave, but you should be all set; my skirts rarely reach my knees, much less the floor. Are all your dresses white?"

"Not hardly. This is one of the simpler ones, I honestly didn't expect to be allowed to wear this, much less many of the others. Mostly though they generally have long split skirts like this one-"

"Wait, split?"

"Yeah, the skirt is actually divided into wide pant legs so I can get in and out of jumpsuits easily. Not all the dresses are like that, mind you, but a lot of them."

"So no heels?"

"Oh hell no! I trip and fall, I always do. Or I twist an ankle. Every time. Platforms are okay, but I prefer to have my feet firmly on the ground."

"I hate sneakers, they're too constricting."

"Yes well, try to keep up with Ziva wearing heels. It's not an easy task, let me tell you. I watched one of our friends chase after Ziva while wearing heels, and this girl can run in heels when she wants to, but Ziva was away from her just around the corner from the bar we were at."

"Where were you?"

"Uh, pummeling a would-be rapist in an alley?"

"Really?"

"Unfortunately. He had just swiped my little sister Caroline from the entrance to the bar. I was the only one that noticed that she wasn't with us anymore a couple minutes later. I only pummeled him; Ziva was the one who scared the piss out of him when she got a hold of him. Caroline was freaked, but unharmed. Needless to say, we haven't been back to that particular bar."

"I can't imagine why."

"Sarcasm can and will amuse me under most circumstances, but that night was not a laughing matter."

"Fair enough Aislinn."

"Hey Abby,"

"Yes?"

"Ash is fine, or Ashi, if you like."

"Great. That works for me, although you may end up with more nicknames before long."

"That's cool. So long as we can tell who's being called, we should be all set. I do, however, have a tendency to answer to just about anything that sounds remotely like my name."

"Me too. So, what do you want to do until the team gets back? I've finished all the tests for everyone else and I'm bored."

"I've got Oreos and a pack of playing cards, wanna play poker instead of making models of battles you don't really know all that much about?"

"What?"

"Ziva told me about your model of Gallipoli. Actually she told our crew over a round of drinks. Cari was amused and intrigued enough to build her own."

"If you hang with Ziva regularly, do you fight with her?"

"Yeah, all the time. Her only split lip since coming here was my doing. She was grumpy for a day or two, then she beat up Tony in practice and everything was right with the world again."

"Call. Anyways, wait, how'd you get a royal flush?"

"Easy, you gave me a jack and a queen and turned a king, an ace and a two. I had nothing to do with it."

"Funny Ash. Do you know how to work Photoshop or write computer code?"

"Yeah sure; would you like to see some of my work? I brought my laptop along just in case you wouldn't let me touch your computers. Ziva told me about Chip."

"Okay, this is a pretty sophisticated system. Wait, you wrote Trask Ult.?"

"Yeah, it was my senior computing project, took me the better part of two years. Figured I might as well make some money off it since I spent so much time on it. My older brother's a gunnery sergeant in the Marines, he helped me make the game relatively realistic- can't have all the secrets of the Navy exposed, can we?"

"Cool! Gibbs-"

"Yes Abbs?"

"Whoa Gibbs, when'd you get here?"

"Just now- you were saying?"

"Only telling Ash that you were a gunnery sergeant in the Marines like her brother."

"Okay, Abbs, but anyways, we need fingerprints and whatever else it is that you do, or want to do. Make sure Aislinn knows what we expect, the relevant rules and is competent to take over for you while you're out."

"Yup. Just give us a second to clean up."

"What on earth have the two of you been doing in here?"

"Playing Oreo poker, then we were looking at Ash's computer and the not-yet-released MMORPG game Trask Ult."

"Trask? You have Trask?"

"I wrote it McGee."

"You have just made McGee idol you, you realize this yes?" Aislinn smiled over her shoulder at Ziva.

"I know Ziva, you did warn me. That's why I left my current pet project on a hard drive at home."

"Smart girl."

* * *

"So Gibbs, what does this case look like?"

"Ziva."

"Fill Abby and Ashi in while you go upstairs?"

"McGee!"

"On your six, boss." The ding behind him was the only answer as he left with McGee.

"Ashi." Ziva's tone was hesitant.

"Oh no,"

"No, it's Rowan, not Michael or Cari. Ashi, Rowan's dead."

"Is he really? You're not pulling my leg?"

"Nope!"

"Any idea who did it?"

"There's my problem. It appears that it was Michael."

"No! Michael wouldn't do that! He wouldn't!"

"I know Ash, but as of now, we have no other suspects. Actually, I merely told Gibbs that the suspect had been charged in Naval Court with attempted rape and kidnapping, but he doesn't know the details. You have to realize that I am breaking all sorts of rules by not telling him right away."

"I'm going, Ziva. I know more than you do, anyways."

"I'm lost." Abby said after the stairway door shut behind Asilinn.

"Has she told you about Caroline?"

"Yeah, oh, I get it. Michael's the older brother then?"

"Yes. Now it is time for me to go back up to Gibbs, Abby."

"Okay, is there anything in particular you want me to look for?"

"Something to clear Michael."

"Got it."

"Thank you Abby."

* * *

"Gibbs?"

"Yes? You can't have any information from the evidence yet."

"No but I do have information you need." Gibbs looked up sharply.

"What?"

"Ziva told me that your dead man is Rowan Pesach, an ex-naval petty officer with a record of attempted assault."

"My little sister Caroline was the victim in that particular case, Sir. Ziva sent me up to tell you, as it is more my place to tell than hers, though she was there that night."

"Explain."

"We were coming out of a bar about two years ago when Rowan jumped Caroline from behind and dragged her around the corner into an alley. I followed and managed to prevent Rowan from raping her, but he put up a fight, which resulted in him and I getting in a fistfight and attracting Ziva's attention. With two against one we subdued him and gave him to NCIS. It was open and shut because he broke my arm in the process and Caroline and Me being little sisters to a Marine, along with several witnesses, including Ziva and a few other friends. We outmanned Rowan's lawyer and won quickly. Rowan got four years, but was paroled about three months ago for so-called 'good behavior'. Really he's just a conniving, narcissistic, sociopathic lying bastard.

"I personally am glad that he's dead, though I've been here since seven this morning. Back then, Michael was so angry at Rowan! They went through basic training together you see. Ziva thinks it looked like Michael killed Rowan, but neither Caroline nor myself have told Michael that Rowan was let out, because we were scared of what he would do, he always was an over protective brother. And Michael wasn't here for the parole meeting because he was over in Iraq until two days ago, it's possible Michael found out, but he's been at my place since he got back with Caroline and Myself except for thirty minutes around seven last night when he went out and got us a couple of pizzas."

"Aislinn!"

"Yes Gibbs?"

"What's Ziva's connection?"

"She's our friend, she was with us the night Rowan tried to get Caroline, why she picked her we'll never know, but after he started fighting with me, Ziva waded into the fight and scared the piss out of Rowan he never was a very good navy an, just barely passed basic training, I think Michael said once that Rowan always was jealous of Michael, why I don't know, but hm hm-m-mm."

"Ashi, stop babbling." Ziva said, placing her hand over Ash's mouth.

"Hm hr hn m m mf."

"What?" Ziva removed her hand.

"Take your hand off my mouth."

"Thank you Ziva."

"Yes Gibbs."

"Now Aislinn, short answers."

"Yes Gibbs."

"Where is your brother now?"

"Most likely still at my place, he's staying there, or he went out for a run, Ziva knows the route."

"You said your sister Caroline was involved?"

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

"Same place, Caroline and I are housemates."

"Ziva!"

"Fetch Mike and Cari, bring them back here. Got it."

"Take Tony."

"Right Boss!"

"And my house isn't yet a crime scene Tony! Do not go in my room! Ziva do not let him!"

"Can we bring back the rest of the cake Aislinn?"

"Fine, if you must Ziva."

"Aislinn – go back down to the lab and work with Abby, processing the information and evidence."

"Okay."

* * *

Abby's beeping computer alerted her to a DNA match to a hit on one of the samples forty minutes later. Aislinn had stepped out for a moment to speak to Jenny about her dresses and their continuing appropriateness in the lab, when Abby grabbed the printout and went charging into the elevator towards the bullpen.

"Gibbs! Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs!"

"Yes Abby?"

"Got a DNA match on one of the samples. It's Ash."

"But Ducky estimated the time of death to be after Aislinn came in this morning."

"I can answer that."

"Aislinn, you have a plausible explanation as to why your DNA was at a crime scene created while you were downstairs in the lab?"

"Yeah, did I mention that Ca-"

"Gibbs!" Came Ziva's call as the elevator opened with Michael and Caroline inside. As they came strolling into the bullpen, Caroline launched herself forward.

"Ashi! I have no idea what's going on you have to help me, and Michael too, but me first!" The result of Caroline's leaping hug for Ash was both of them lying in a tangled heap of arms and legs on the floor of the bullpen. When both girls managed to get to their feet again, there was a simultaneous gasp from the onlookers, save Ziva and Michael.

"As I was going to say," the girl on the left continued, "Caroline is only younger than me by about two minutes. We're identical twins, born on either side of midnight."

"You've been sying that I'm the younger sister again haven't you? I only told Abby, and it didn't matter in the context of the conversation. Besides, I had a flush."

"Oreo poker Ashi? On your first day of work?"

"Abby's idea. Anyways, wait, shit. Now I have to forfeit my dress Cari! Thanks a lot. Now I'm covered in contaminated evidence. Oh well, all the evidence is from our house anyways. How contaminated could it get?" Ash started to turn around before she realized something. "Wait, you're both covered in blood! How'd you get covered in blood?" Michael laughed, Ziva with him.

"You're only just now realizing that you're covered in blood?"

"Yes Tony, when I get going, I don't notice little things right away."

"Linn, calm down. While neither of us have any memory of this morning before your agent friends came in through the front door-"

"Wait, Ziva you didn't break in, did you? 'Cause I just replaced those locks."

"No Ash, why break in when I have a key?" Ash was sheepish.

"Right."

"Anyways," continued Michael, "while neither of us have any memory, we'll have to go with the facts on this one, and what comes will come. Whatever we did this morning, or whatever happened, cannot be undone. We can only hope that we didn't kill anyone."

"Spoken like a true marine, Gunney."

"Thank-you Sir."

"Um, if Abby will get evidence bags and collect Michael and Cari's old clothing, I will go retrieve everyone's spare clothes from my car. Better idea, Gibbs?"

"Yes, may Ziva go get the clothes? It's probably best if I don't go outside, don't want to contaminate what's on me."

"Ziva, do it."

"Come on Ziva, my keys are downstairs."

"Come back quick, Linn."

"Will do, Michael."